Too Late
by NinjaKitten930
Summary: A Malec one-shot based on City of Glass where the accords kiss takes place. But what if Alec had not been in time, and Magnus had picked someone else as a partner?


_A quick one-shot that was inspired by the depressed mood my friend put me in from his own depressing story. The idea is what would happen if Alec had not found Magnus in time at the Accords, and Magnus had instead found someone else to mark him before the war._

_Yes, depressing, but life can't be all great, right? _

_Reviews are love! 3_

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><p>Alec had been running late when he'd finally arrived in the Accords Hall. Shadowhunters and downworlders alike were mingling. Alec watched with confusion until he spotted Isabelle with Simon. Running up to the two, Alec asked "What's going on here? Is the clave not giving up?"<p>

Snorting, Isabelle replied, "wow, you're really behind." After quickly debriefing Alec on Clary's new rune and how it worked, Alec immediately thought of Magnus. No, Alec was sure that the Warlock would not be looking forward to seeing him, Alec couldn't blame him either. With the way Alec had been shunning, ignoring, and acting so cold toward the Warlock, he wouldn't doubt if Magnus never spoke to him again.

"Magnus is over there if you-" But Alec didn't hear the rest of Isabelle's words as he pushed through the crowd. Eventually, Alec reached Magnus with a frantic look in his eyes. "Magnus! Magnus I'm so sorry about how I've been acting. "

The Warlock watched Alec with cold eyes that sent shards of pain through Alec's heart. "Sorry about what, shadowhunter?" Magnus asked, as if he'd never met Alec before; Ale, however, was growing more and more emotional, his eyes filled with grief, regret, and love. "I'm sorry Magnus, for shutting you away, hiding away our relationship, and hurting you!" Alec spoke the sentence without taking a breath, as if, if he paused, there would be no way he could continue. Taking a deep breath, Alec watched the Warlock with hope that was quickly shattered as the Warlock stared at him with the same indifferent eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about, Alexander, I am just fine."

Alec blinking impatiently as tears pushed at the backs of his eyes, and he took a step closer to the Warlock, feeling his heart beat jump at their sudden closeness. Alec could feel the Warlock's warmth, and he bit his lip, wishing that he could embrace him right there. Swallowing his fear of being rejected by his fellow shadowhunters, friends, and family, Alec closed the space between them and pressed his lips to the Warlock's. The kiss was messy and raw, but Alec put all of his feelings through the moment. When Alec pulled away, the last shards of his heart shattered once more when he stared into Magnus's amber-green cat-eyes as the Warlock stared back at him angrily.

"Alec, I cannot deal with this right now," Magnus pointed out through clenched teeth. Magnus pushed Alec away, though his hands were gentle. Alec, however, refused to give up. He pushed past Magnus's defensive arms and kissed him again, his hands on the taller man's shoulders.

Something seemed to change in Magnus, and the hands that had attempted to push him away pulled him closer. Alec twined his hands around Magnus's neck as the Warlock lifted a hand to cup Alec's cheek. Pulling away slowly, Alec stared worriedly at the Warlock.

Magnus's previously emotionless face had shattered and his eyes were now filled with love and hurt. "Alec, you damn boy! I didn't want to let you back in, but I can't help it!" Magnus sounded almost frustrated, and Alec rubbed his back soothingly as they stood close to each other. "Magnus, I will never turn you away again. I don't love Jace, I love…." Alec's words trailed off as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're marked?"

Magnus's eyes turned from confused, to understanding, before landing on guilty. "I'm sorry Alec, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." He sighed, smoothing his thumb on Alec's cheek. Alec, however, pushed the Warlock away. Here Alec had just given his all to Magnus in front of the entire Accord's Hall, and the Warlock had already _given up on him_?

Someone called for Magnus through the shocked silence. Only now when Alec looked around did he see the staring eyes and gaping mouths. '_And it was all for nothing,' _Alec thought angrily.

Staring at Alec with regretful, worried eyes, Magnus assured, "we will talk about this after. I'm sorry Alec, but we must go." The shadowhunter paired with Magnus motioned for Magnus to move and Alec gritted his teeth, jealousy and hurt burning in his throat.

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><p>Eventually Alec was paired with a young Fey, and he walked through the portal, not giving Magnus a second glance. Alec felt strange with the Fey's powers running through him, but his emotions still ruled his thoughts.<p>

"_How could he give up on me like that?" _Alec thought. His emotions were mixes and confused, but the overwhelming feeling of grief ruled over the shattered remains of his heart as he ran into the war.

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><p>Slick with brackish ichor and blood, Alec gritted his teeth as he dispelled another demon. A short while ago, Alec had felt an energy and power leave him, and he knew that his partner had died. Alec watched as, left and right, Shadowhunters and Downworlders fought against the onslaught of demons, but he couldn't help but feel like there was no use.<p>

Running through the street, Alec helped the hurt with ripped clothes as bandages, or a quick _iratze_. However, despite the horrors of war, Alec could only focus on his worry for one specific Warlock. He hadn't seen Magnus yet, but he knew that after the portal had closed, that Magnus had joined the fight.  
>Sometimes Alec would catch sight of a flash of blue sparks and would run to their source; however, Alec was either disappointed with a different Warlock, or always arrived too late, after the enemy had been killed, and they had moved on.<p>

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his left leg, Alec ran through the streets once again. Blood stained the earth; it was as if the ground could no longer soak up anymore, and the dirt was spongy, leaving pools of blood wherever Alec stepped. Yet despite the carnage, Alec had only one thing on his mind. Every flash of blue set his new destination. Alec couldn't help it, but he needed to find Magnus _now_ so that the Warlock wouldn't be unsure of Alec's feelings, or mad at him. Alec had no idea who would survive, and he merely needed to find Magnus before it was too late.

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><p>A flash of blue alerted Alec's senses and he ran past the houses. Most were broken into, many had been ransacked. He reached a street and relief swelled in Alec's chest soon followed with paralyzing fear.<p>

Magnus was standing alone in the street, surrounded by demons. We was dispelling the denser of the demons easily enough with bolts of magic, but there was one behind him that had realized where it could strike. Alec's eyes widened as the demon lurched toward Magnus while the Warlock's back was turned, and he began running. _But no_, he would never get there in time. "Magnus!" Alec shouted, his voice hoarse and raw with fear.

Magnus turned in surprise to see Alec running toward him. His cat-eyes seemed to brighten when he saw the shadowhunter, his expression softening with the same relief Alec had felt moments before. But no, he had to turn around!

Before Alec could shout at Magnus, warn him, the demon had struck its spear-tipped tail through Magnus's chest. The barbed end stuck out grotesquely from the middle of Magnus's chest as the Warlock stared at Alec with wide eyes, blank with shock. Magnus looked down and his face seemed to whiten, his eyes losing their glow.

The demon pulled its tail out of Magnus's chest and, before he even had a chance to hit the ground, it stabbed at him again, this time stabbing through his stomach.

Only then did Alec reach him as the demon again pulled its tail out. Magnus's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped to his knees. Before the warlock collapsed, Alec grabbed him, carefully lowering him to the ground.

Fury ran through Alec's veins, his vision staining red as he pulled his last seraph blade out. After quickly naming it, the blade shot up, a bright light emanating from the centre. Though Alec could have easily enough thrown the blade, dispelling the demon quickly-enough, he felt his hand clench on the blade as his eyes filled with an uncontrollable rage.

Lunging forward, Alec jumped atop the demon's back, completely careless with his own life. He stabbed the demon in the top of the head and it squealed. In an attempt to get Alec off, the demon struck its tail out at him, but Alec avoided it and it sank into the demon's back as it shrieked once more before collapsing. Feeling drained and empty, Alec dropped the knife, slowly walking to where Magnus was lying.

It all felt surreal to Alec as he knelt down beside Magnus; the Warlock's eyes were closed, his mouth parted slightly. Oh how Alec wished to kiss him, even just one last time.  
>But no, he would not have his last kiss be cold and unrelenting; instead Alec held the Warlock as tears finally spilled over, streaming down his face. Alec sat in silence; though all around the two were the sounds of chaos and war, Alec heard nothing, felt nothing.<p>

"I'm so sorry Magnus," Alec finally whispered, the first sound he made in almost an hour of sitting there, holding the Warlock closely. "If I'd have just accepted you and that part of me sooner, we could have been partners. I could have been there for you." Alec choked, unable to speak anymore. As the tears continued to fall; the drops slowly cleared Magnus's face of the blood, Ichor, and gore of battle. Alec wiped the Warlock's face sub-consciously; he had done it so many times in the past that it had merely become second nature.

"I never introduced you to my parents," Alec realized and, despite the triviality of the fact, it made Alec's tears fall harder than ever, and a sob escaped his tight chest; the first sound he made apart from the broken words he whispered to his dead lover.


End file.
